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Training On Employee Meal Break Rules Can Help Avoid Legal Trouble

Supervisors who ask employees to perform work during unpaid meal periods could be putting their employer at risk for a wage and hour lawsuit. However, training can help educate supervisors about federal and state law regarding the compensability of meal periods and, in the process, minimize the risk of such lawsuits.

What We Can Learn from Putting on Our Socks

Clear directions are a critical element in the successful execution of any task. To bake a batch of mouth-watering cookies, you need a recipe that clearly lists the ingredients and how they need to be combined in order to deliver the final result you’re looking for. If you need to travel from point A to […]

Lactation Challenges in the Workplace

In yesterday’s Advisor, breastfeeding consultant and expert Michele Griswold, MPH, RN, IBCLC, helped employers understand their obligations to breastfeeding mothers. Today, questions about refrigeration and sound issues, plus an introduction to the all-in-one HR website, HR.BLR.com. Griswald who is chair of the Connecticut Breastfeeding Coalition, shared her remarks during an interview with BLR Editor Elaine […]

Holiday Familiarity … At What Point Do Managers Lose Respect?

During the holidays, traditional lines of workplace authority become blurred, and respect for management authority can be the victim. Here are some do’s and don’ts to maintain it … at holiday time and anytime. Holiday season is here, and we all know what that means, don’t we? Why, you can hear the strains of “Silver […]

Ask the Trainer: Physical Space

A: Content physical space where training takes place can influence how effective training is; yet many trainers do not take that into consideration when designing and delivering training, says Jill Greenbaum, Ed.D., coach, speaker, and author (www.icoachidesign.com). Ideally, trainers should know during the design phase where the training will occur and how many learners will […]

Your Policy on Religion in the Workplace: What It Must Address

Without a solid policy on religion, you haven’t a prayer of winning a discrimination case. Here’s some of what that policy should take into account. Also included is a tool to handle virtually all your policy issues without the work and worry of writing these edicts yourself. With both the Jewish High Holy Days and […]

California Employer Abandons Appeal—A Costly Mistake!

By Michael Futterman and Jaime Touchstone An employee filed a wage claim against her former employer for unpaid commissions and was awarded nearly $30,000 by the labor commissioner. The employer appealed the decision to the superior court … but then withdrew the appeal. The employee then sought reimbursement of the amounts she had expended in […]

The business case for diversity

by Kimberly Williams Recently, my employer, Baystate Health, organized a regional Diversity and Inclusion Conference. While promoting the event on social media, I shared a video clip of one of the conference presenters who was making the “business case” for diversity. One of my Facebook friends asked, “Why are we still making a business case […]

Who’s in Control: 3rd Circuit Looks at FLSA’s Joint Employer Test

When a worker is employed by two or more separate employers, this normally presents no special problems under the Fair Labor Standards Act. But even where the employee works for an entirely separate employer, there may still be a question of whether two employers are so entangled as to create a “joint employment” relationship where […]